Adapter device for conventional bed pans



Dec 25 1962 BRODSKY 3,069,693

ADAPTER DEvIcE FOR CONVENTIONAL BED PANs Filed July 17, 1961 21\ NORMAN BRODSKY 25 Inventor 3,059,693 Patented Dec. 25, 1962 3,069,693 ADAPTER DEVICE FOR CGNVENTIONAL BED PANS Norman Brodsky, 120 Grand Ave., Santa Monica, Calif. Filed July 17, 1961, Ser. No. 124,490 4 Claims. (Cl. 4-112) The present invention relates to hospital and sick room equipment used for the care and comfort of bed patients, and more particularly to an adapter which may be used with conventional presently available bed pans to make them more convenient and practical, especially for bed patients in upright or semi-reclining positions.

The constantly recurrent problems and inevitable inconveniences involved in the use of bed pans of the shape and size generally supplied are Well known to patients who have been confined to hospital beds even for short periods of time While convalescing from surgery or accidental injuries and who were well enough to sit generally upright in their beds but were not permitted to walk even short distances to a bathroom.

It will be remembered that the standard vessel of this type was designed mainly to meet the needs of the patient who is quite seriously ill and is not only bed-ridden but is required to remain in a fully reclining position and who, further, is completely helpless insofar as shift ing or raising himself is concerned. Actually, it was designed and came into general use in all hospitals long before hospital beds came equipped with elevating mechanisms which make it possible for one nurse or attendant to shift the patient to various positions.

Little, if any, change has been made in the past fifty years in standard vessels of this character, and they are still shaped so as to meet the original primary requirement of being sufficiently shallow to be slid easily between the patient and the bed and having rounded outer surfaces to avoid injury to the patient or the bedding.

But the characteristic rounded surfaces and shallow depth which make the device Well suited for use parallel to the body of the reclining patient are, as can be understood, disadvantages when the patient attempts use of the device while sitting up with his body disposed generally perpendicular to the device.

My present invention has been made with the foregoing considerations in mind, and can be said to have a num ber of important objectives.

One important object of my invention is the provision of an adapter device which is adapted in form and dimension so as to interfit with bed pan receptacles of the size and type most generally used by hospitals and similar institutions which provide care for bed patients, the adapter serving to facilitate the use of the standard receptacles by patients who are physically strong enough to be positioned generally upright in their beds.

A further object of my present invention is the provision of an adapter device of the character described which when inserted in the aperture of a standard or conventional receptacle provides an enlarged and generally concave upper surface much better suited to receiving and supporting the weight of the generally upright patient than the convexly rounded relatively narrow upper rim of the original receptacle.

I A still further important object of my invention is the provision of an adapter device of the character described which is provided with an inner sleeve section enterable within the opening in the top of the receptacle, and having stop means at both ends engageable .with the upper surface of the receptacle so as to secure the adapter with its upper surface generally parallel to the bottom of the receptacle in such a manner that the effective depth of the receptacle is substantially increased.

' An additional object of my invention is the provision of an adapter of the character described which may be readily interfitted with and detached from a standard vessel of this type without any changes or modifications being made in the vessel and with no impairment of its use singly in the customary manner.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an adapter of the character described which is so simple and uncomplicated in structural conformation that all of its surfaces are easily reached for cleaning and inspection.

In brief, my invention consists of an adapter including a sleeve section which may be interfitted into the bilobate aperture in a standard hospital-type bed pan. The sleeve section is terminated at its upward end in a transversely disposed generally planar flange section which extends outwardly and around the sleeve. This flange section is similar in planform to the top of the vessel, but is somewhat larger in area and slightly concave. Stop members are provided at each end of the sleeve which are adapted to bear upon the top surface of the pan at opposite ends of the opening therein and prevent the sleeve from bottoming within the pan and hold the adapter with its flanged area spaced uniformly above and generally parallel to the bottom of the vessel.

As will be understood, when positioned relative to the vessel as described, the concave upper surface of the flanged area of the adapter provides support for the patient while in a sitting or semi-reclining position thereabove, and the vertical side Wall of the sleeve section provides the additional depth necessary to enable its use by a patient While in a substantially upright position or partially reclining on the bed.

Certain additional objects of my invention, together with possible variations thereof, will become apparent upon inspection of the following specification of one embodiment thereof and the references in the specification made to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional bed pan and, above and adjacent thereto, an adapter device constructed in accordance with my present invention. This view clearly indicates the manner in which the adapter may be fitted into the pan;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the under side of the adapter device as it would be seen from the direction of the arrows 2-2 in FIGURE 3, and shows the stop members extended laterally from opposite ends of the sleeve section of the adapter;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational View of the adapter showing the stop members on the downwardly extended sleeve section, and indicating the degree of concavity of the flanged top; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical elevational view of the back of the adapter as it would be seen from the direction of the arrow 4 in FIGURE 3.

Reference is again made to FIGURE 1 in which a typical and conventional bed pan or sanitary vessel is indicated generally by the numeral 10, and the adapter device constructed according to my invention is indicated generally by the numeral 11.

The vessel 10 is formed in a manner which is considered to be best suited to accommodate a patient reclining in a substantially horizontal position. The majority of the vessels, such as 10, conform to a standard pattern governing their shape and size. All are relatively shallow in depth, being broadest and shallowest at one end 12, and somewhat higher and narrower at the opposite end 13. A bilobate opening 14 is provided in the top 15, and the surface of the top is arcuately convex and is continuously rounded into the sides and undersurfaces, such as 16, so that the outer surface is round and smooth at all points.

Because of the rounded form of the top, as seen at 15, it will be understood that the effective clearance or depth between the inner edge 17 of the opening 14 and the bottom 18 of the vessel is even less than might be assumed from the over all height of the vessel. It will be further understood that the rounded top 15 presents an indefinite and uncomfortable supporting surface for a patient attempting to maintain a generally upright position thereabove.

As seen in PiGURE 1, the adapter 11, of the present invention, includes a generally planar flanged section 19 which is slightly larger in planform outline than the vessel 10. A bilobate aperture 2 1?, similar in contour to the opening 14 in the vessel 10, but slightly smaller in every dimension, is provided in the planar section 19, and a sleeve section 21 is extended downwardly from the generally horizontal section 19 along the edge of the aperture 211. The sleeve section 21 is adapted to interfit within the opening 14 of the vessel It), and to fit snugly therein at its opposite ends 22 and 23. Stop members 24 and 25, best seen in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, extend outwardly from the sleeve and are either formed integrally therewith or are rigidly attached thereto.

The adapter 11 is mounted on the vessel by placing the forward end 26 of the adapter upon the forward end 13 of the vessel, then moving the adapter forwardly so that the stop member 24- is engaged beneath the frontal lip 2-2 or the opening 14. Then the rearward end 27 of the adapter 11 is pressed downwardly so that the entire lower edge 31 of the sleeve 21 is entered in the opening 14 and moved downwardly therein until restrained by contact of the stop member 25 with the upper surface of the vessel along the rearward edge 23 of the opening 14.

Thus, when installed in the position of use, the front of the adapter 11 rests upon the front of the vessel 10, and the stop member rests upon the edge 23 of the opening 14 in the top of the vessel. In this position, the top 19 of the adapter is generally parallel with the bottom 18 of the vessel. As is clearly shown in FIGURE 3, the sleeve section 21 is progressively increased in depth from the front 26 to the rear 27 of the adapter; and as is seen in FIGURE 4, the elfective depth of the vessel It is increased by the depth of the sleeve 21 above the stop 25, indicated by the numeral 28, and the section of the sleeve below the stop 25, indicated by the numeral 29, is not sufficiently deep to touch the bottom 18 in FIGURE 1 of the vessel 10.

As has been previously mentioned, the flanged upper surface 19 of the adapter 11, although generally planar, is formed with a slight concavity as indicated at 30 in FIGURES 3 and 4, so as to provide a more suitable supporting surface than the convex rim 15 of the vessel. Also, the outer periphery of the section 19 is smoothly rolled as indicated at 32 in FIGURES 3 and 4, to eliminate any sharp edges thereof.

The adapter device is preferably constructed of a smooth, rigid, non-frangible material, such as stainless steel, which is substantially non-corrosive and can withstand repeated sterilization.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that I have provided by my invention an adapter device which is readily attachable to and removable from a conventional hospital-type bed pan without the requirement of changes or modifications in the latter and in no way affecting its use singly with patients unable to assume upright positions in bed. I

It will also be apparent from the above specification that the adapter provided by my invention improves a conventional vessel by providing an upper surface of greater area and more suitable shape for supporting a patient while in an upright or semi-reclining position.

It will be further apparent from the above details that the device of my invention by increasing the depth of the conventional vessel adapts it for use with mental patients and convalescents from accidents and surgery who are required to remain in bed but are strong enough to assume generally upright positions at certain times.

Although in order to comply with the statute the present invention has been shown and described in the form of a single and specific embodiment, it is to be understood that the details contained herein are subject to change and variation, and the embodiment set forth may be substantially modified, and that the particular form of the invention set forth herein is intended to be illustrative rather than limitative; and therefore the spirit and scope of the invention is to be limited only as may be indicated by the following claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An adapter device for use with a generally conventional bed pan, comprising: a generally planar top section formed of rigid non-corrosive material, said top being Substantially pear-shaped and slightly larger in area than the planform outline of the vessel with which it is used; a bilobate aperture in said top similar in shape to the opening in the top of said vessel; a sleeve section extended downwardly from said top from the edge of said aperture therein, said sleeve being tapered diagonally from a lesser depth at the small end of said top to a greater depth at the broader end of said top; a pair of arcuate stop members extended outwardly from and partially around the opposite ends of said sleeve section including a first stop member extended from said sleeve at its end of lesser depth adjacent the under surface of said top, and a second stop member extended from said sleeve at its end of greater depth and disposed closer to the bottom of said sleeve than to the under surface of said top; said stop members being spaced apart on said sleeve section in such a manner that said first stop member is readily engageable against the under surface of said top of said vessel adjacent the edge of one end of the opening therein and, when said sleeve section is entered in said opening, said second stop member rests upon the upper surface of said vessel along the edge of the opposite end of said opening therein, and said top of said adapter is supported in generally parallel spaced relationship to the bottom of the vessel.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 and further characterized by said generally planar top section being formed with a slight concavity in its upper surface areas laterally of said bilobate aperture and said sleeve section therein.

3. In combination, a bed pan assembly adapted for use by bed patients while in sitting or semi-reclining positions, comprising: a generally conventional hospital-type bed pan including a flat bottom section with sides rounded upwardly and inwardly therefrom and terminated in a bilobate opening in the top thereof; said pan being generally pear-shaped in planform with the upper surface thereof defining a convex rim around said bilobate opening, the pan being deepest at the smaller end thereof; an adapter device including a generally planar top section formed of rigid non-corrosive material, substantially pearshaped and slightly larger in area than the planform outline of said pan, and having therein a bilobate aperture similar in shape to said opening in the top of the pan; means for supporting the top of the adapter above the pan including a sleeve section extended downwardly from the top section from the edge of the aperture therein and tapered diagonally downwardly from a lesser depth at the small end of the top to a greater depth at the broader end of the top, and a first and a second stop member extended outwardly from and partially around the opposite ends ofsaid sleeve section generally parallel to said top, said first stop member being extended from the sleeve at its end of lesser depth adjacent the under surface of said top, and the second stop member being extended from said sleeve at its end of greater depth and disposed closer to the bottom of the sleeve than to the under surface of the top; said stop members being spaced apart and extended from said sleeve section in such a manner that said first stop member is readily engageable against the under surface of said pan adjacent the edge of one end of the opening therein and, when said sleeve section is entered into the opening in the pan, said second stop member rests upon the upper surface of the pan along the edge of the opposite end of the opening therein, whereby said top of said adapter is supported above and in generally parallel spaced relationship to the bottom of said pan.

4. A bed pan assembly adapted for use by bed patients while in sitting or semi-reclining positions, comprising the combination of: vessel means conformed in the manner of a conventional bed pan having a normally horizontal planar bottom, rounded sides and a slanted top having a bilobate opening therein, the upper surface of the top being formed in the manner of a convex rim around the opening therein; sleeve means enterable and interfitting within the opening in the top of the pan; stop means extended outwardly from opposite ends of said sleeve and engageable with the top of the pan adjacent the opening therein in a manner effective to prevent the sleeve from bottoming in the pan, and a generally horizontal top section defining a flange extended outwardly from the upper edge of said sleeve, the upper surface of said flange being collectively concave and substantially parallel to the bottom of said pan.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 190,555 Weidner June 13, 1961 612,076 Weston Oct. 11, 1898 2,790,182 Malin Apr. 30, 1957 

